Spaceship

The term "Spaceship" or space vehicle or space capsule describes a vehicle which was specially built for use in space. It is used to transport people and cargo into space. Depending on the mission, different types of spaceships are used. Today, the American space shuttle or the Russian Progress are used for manned missions. These transport people and goods, for example satellites or modules for the ISS space station. The Space Shuttle and the Progress are therefore also referred to as space freighters or space transporters. In contrast to NASA`s reusable space shuttle, there are still spacecraft with landing capsules, such as the Russian "Soyuz". These are less complex to produce, but can only be used once, since the landing capsules are damaged when they re-enter the earth`s atmosphere. Since landing capsules only have to fly in space, they do not need an aerodynamic shape like the space shuttle, they are slowed down by large parachutes before they land back on earth. However, the capsule`s heat shield has a specific shape to stabilize it in flight upon re-entry. Although NASA has since abandoned the capsule technology because it is considered "obsolete", the Russian Soyuz capsules are still the most reliable means of transport for supplying the international space station ISS.